http://www.ck12.org Chapter 4. Technical Chapters
Figure D.2:Oilseed rape. If used to create biodiesel, the power per unit area of rape is 0. 13 W/m^2. Photo by Tim
Dunne.
Sugar beet to ethanol
Sugar beet, in the UK, delivers an impressive yield of 53 t per hectare per year. And 1 t of sugar beet makes 108
litres of bioethanol. Bioethanol has an energy density of 6 kWh per litre, so this process has a power per unit area of
0. 4 W/m^2 , not accounting for energy inputs required.
TABLE4.10:
energy density (kWh/kg)
softwood- air dried 4.4
- oven dried 5.5
hardwood - air dried 3.75
- oven dried 5.0
white office paper 4.0
glossy paper 4.1
newspaper 4.9
cardboard 4.5
coal 8
straw 4.2
poultry litter 2.4
general indust’l waste 4.4
hospital waste 3.9
municipal solid waste 2.6
refuse-derived waste 5.1
tyres 8.9
Calorific value of wood and similar things. Sources: Yaros (1997); Ucuncu (1993), Digest of UK Energy Statistics
2005.
Bioethanol from sugar cane
Where sugar cane can be produced (e.g., Brazil) production is 80 tons per hectare per year, which yields about
17600l of ethanol. Bioethanol has an energy density of 6 kWh per litre, so this process has a power per unit area of
- 2 W/m^2.